Unimaginable Love
by ishipyouandme
Summary: Nikki and Lorraine. How does Lorraine overcome her problems with emotions to allow herself and Nikki to stay together? What is Michael's big secret, and what does Sian have to do with it? How will it effect Waterloo Road's most popular couple?
1. Chapter 1

Wow look at this, I've decided to join the fanfiction club as my exams have finished. I apologise in advance if this is crap, I'm 100% new to this! I'm starting this from when Lorraine was about to tell Nikki how she felt before Nikki basically told her to get stuffed (bad Nik).

Heart on the line? Did she really feel that way for me? Hearing her sigh I looked up, she was walking away again. Say something Lorraine, don't be such a baby.

"Nikki, wait, please?" I whimpered, walking towards her. I had to be strong, I wasn't going to show how much this was effecting me. That's not my style.

"What is it? I have got things to do you know.." she replied, looking anywhere but me. I could see the tears glazing her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes. I never realised she felt so strongly for me, but then again, I never really had the chance to figure out any of these emotions. I reached out and took her hand, not caring who saw. Words always failed me when it came to emotional things, I shut down, so I tried to rely on my actions. I had to prove to her that she meant something to me.

"5 minutes, that's all I'm asking. 5 minutes to prove to you how much you mean to me, that you don't need to worry about having your heart on the line. Please Nik?" God, I must sound like a right sad case. Begging. I felt like I had to though. After the way I broke it off this morning I owed it to her. Pulling her hand softly, I led her towards her office where I silently hoped that Tom wouldn't be there. I felt no resistance on her part anyway, so that was a good sign. I felt her gaze on me though, burning into the back of my head. Seeing that Tom wasn't in the office, I pulled her in softly, trying not to be too forceful, too desperate. I shut the door and finally turned around to look at her, noticing something unusual about the normally strong army woman, a tear was slowly cascading down her cheek. Neither of us said anything, but she looked away, probably feeling self conscious about showing her emotions.. Just like I would be. Reaching up, I wiped the tear off of her face with my thumb, letting my hand linger on her cheek for a second or two longer than it should have. Looking into her eyes, they reflected mine. Unspoken emotion, hurt, anger, frustration. I couldn't bare this anymore, I had to do something.

"Nik..? Please don't cry. I'm not worth your tears.." I whispered, pretty much directly in front of her. I wasn't too sure why I whispered, it's not like anybody could hear us. She still didn't say anything though. I placed my hand on her cheek, my other hand still holding hers. Still nothing. God, I hoped my patience could hold out for a while, I really hated being tested like this. Just as I was about to say something again, I felt her face lean into my hand a little, and I watched her close her eyes.

"I really like you, you know that don't you Lo?"

I loved it when she called me that, nobody had ever called me that, not in a way that gave me this sort of feeling anyway.

"I know you do. You know I like you too right? I know I'm awful with this.. Emotions. They scare me, I feel out of control, vulnerable. It doesn't change how I feel though. I just.. When Michael found out, I panicked. I didn't want to seem like the bad guy because of how I've treated him about the whole Christine situation" I was blabbing. Shut up, shut up, shut up. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block everything out. I didn't want to lose her, she was probably the only person who believed in me right now. I felt myself drift closer towards her body, like some form of gravitational pull. Nuzzling my head into her shoulder, I listened closely to her breathing. The same breathing that helped me get to sleep at night when I was stressed. The breathing that I timed my own breath with so that I wouldn't wake her at crazy times in the morning. The breathing from the woman that I'd grown to love. I felt her arms slowly wrap around my waist, her head resting on mine. I felt like a child, I felt out of control here, but I liked it. I loved the feeling of being safe.

"You say all that Lo, but you need to prove it. I know you hate all this emotional stuff, but you need to get a grip, you're human, act like it" She said, a little too harshly for my liking. It was true though. "I know you can do it… I wasn't joking when I said you were missing out-" I stopped her. My lips pressed on hers. Trying to prove how I felt with my actions, not words.

She didn't respond at first, shocked maybe. Or mad. But she kissed me back after what felt like hours. Her hands snaked up my sides until they were tangled in my hair, my own hands resting happily on her waist. I bit her bottom lip, asking for entrance which she quickly allowed. My tongue exploring her mouth, with Nikki copying my actions. Slowly taking every taste in, savouring the moment, wanting it to last. I started to push her up against the wall, not realising that we were now in full view of anybody who looked through the office door window. Her lips slowly moved down to my neck, soft kisses wherever she could reach. I buried my head into her neck, letting out a soft moan in the process. It all felt so good. I couldn't remember the last time when I felt this happy, or if I ever even felt content with who I was kissing. Was this all too good to be true?

"What the hell do you two think you're doing?!" … Michael. Of course


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh look a new chapter already. I have no life (literally, seeing as I've now finished school). Thanks for the reviews guys, I didn't think I'd get any :') I'm sorry this chapter isn't good/short, but I hope y'all enjoy. Please review if you can and all. **

Michael's harsh words pierced the room, and I found myself tearing my lips away from Nikki's, worried, concerned.. But mainly angry. I finally found myself opening up to her, and he just comes barging in, ruining it all. I looked up at Nikki, hurt and disappointment splashed out across her face. I really wasn't proving how much I liked her by pulling myself away like that.

About to apologise, I looked up at her, before Michael made it clear that he was still in the room.

"Lorraine?! Nikki!? What the hell do you two think you're playing at? This is a school, not a kissing club!" Michael was practically shouting, voicing his opinions to the entire school. I felt myself cringe, this really wasn't how I wanted this to pan out.

"Nothing to say Lorraine? I would've thought you'd of have many opinions. After all, this is, how you say; hypocritical isn't it? Giving me all the grief about myself and Christine, when you've been sleeping with Nikki! How da-"

I couldn't let him continue. I had to at least try to prove myself by Nikki by standing up to us both.

"Michael, cut the crap. I know how many times you and Christine have had little make out sessions in your office, DURING the school day" I felt myself get angrier and angrier with each word, who the hell did he think he was? "I'm not some 15 year old anymore, I'm not going to jeopardise mine, or Nikki's career by doing this when kids are about! I was just-"

"Lorraine, don't. You don't need to explain this to him, you're just going giving him more to throw back at you.." Nikki finally said, clearing getting fed up by the whole situation. Turning towards the door handle, getting ready to leave, make a run for it, I grabbed her hand.

"Stay.." I asked, whispering quietly, as if speaking any louder would result in something bad happening. Looking down at our hands, holding hers tightly as if anything else wouldn't be good enough. She stayed silent, as if she was willing me to speak some more, enjoying the knowledge that I was finally standing up for her, us.

"Hello? Lorraine? You're not here to play happy couples with her! Nikki" he turned to look towards her, anger clear in his eyes, "I don't employ you to go around kissing Lorraine, or anybody else for that matter!"  
"That's right. You don't employ me. Lorraine does, and if you have a problem with that then I suggest you take it up with her, because I'm not sacrificing anything for you". Her voice pierced the tension in the room. She'd finally had enough, her grip on my hand increasing. Sacrificing anything? Did she mean me and her? I hope so.. I didn't understand why Michael was making such a big fuss about this situation. I thought I'd get a slap on the wrist, but this? This was weird, it made me thing.. Wait, what was his issue in all of this?

"Get over it Michael. I'm finally feeling happy, I've found something to distract me from all the shit that I have to put up with from you and the money. I would've thought you, of all people, would be happy for me, us."

His face was a picture. Anger with a slight hint of humour was dancing across his face, showing in his features. He'd finally caught me out with something, and he thought he could use it against me. I pulled Nikki closer towards me, feeling no hesitation, and I wrapped my arm around her. Her crisp jacket soft to the touch. I felt her do the same, it gave me shivers, it felt good. Natural. Normal. I'd just about got things back on track, and I wasn't about to lose it all again.

"Whatever Lorraine, if you want to sacrifice the future of the school for a fling, go ahead. This place will do fine without you and your ideas anyway!"

"That's bullshit Michael and you know it! The school, and you, wouldn't even be here without me and my money. I ain't sacrificing anything, like I said, I'm not some teenager anymore. I don't need babysitting" I said harshly, maybe a bit too harshly. Oh well, can't say he didn't deserve it. I watched him walk out the door, sighing loudly. I still couldn't figure out what his problem was in all of this, if it was wrong, then why would he come down so hard when he was doing the exact same? I looked up at Nikki, her face emotionless. I reached up and kissed her lower lip, letting all my emotions convey to her via that, then I rushed out, trying to catch up to Michael who thankfully, hadn't gone very far.

"Michael! Wait!" He spun around, facing me. His phone was out, texting Christine no doubt. Ugh.

"What is it Lorraine? I have got a school to run." Blunt as ever, now I see why Nik got so pissed off at me.

"What's your problem? You're doing the exact same as me, so it can't be that. So tell me, is the fact that I'm a relationship the problem, or is it the fact that I'm in a relationship with a female that bothers you so much?!"

Sensing Nikki come up behind me, I wasn't looking forward to his response.


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm still crying y'all. I feel like a total irrelevant in this Daniela fandom but I'm still going to carry on with this because.. You know.. I ship the fuck out of them. I'm sorry this is crap, I'm mourning the loss of Lorraine ok. Enjoy. Review. Up to you. Ps, I'm crap at storylines, so would you rather me do one-shots instead of this, or both? Up to you, again.**

I stood a few meters behind Lorraine, I really didn't want to crowd her. The tension was scary, I'd never seen Lorraine so fired up before. I had to admit, it was a slight turn on for me, I'd never admit that to her though. It filled me with pride seeing her stand up for us like this, if there even was an us.

"Well? What is your problem in all of this, Michael?" her voice, that accent. It was even stronger when she was mad. I might wind her up later just to see her angry again, because it's worth it. Nikki, shut up, this is a serious situation. I felt a smirk creep up onto my face as I thought about what the situation could end up like. Hot, angry.. No. This isn't even happening.

"You damn well know what my problem is Lorraine! You, giving me the grief when you've been doing the exact same thing yourself!"

"I fucked mine up. At least let me try and get it right Michael!"

"Not on school time! What, you're too scared to tell me, or your sister yet you start kissing in broad daylight letting the kids see? That doesn't even make sense Lorraine!"

"Broad daylight? What are we, vampires? I work my ass off for this school, don't you think I deserve a little happiness?"

Shouting, the constant shouting was starting to get on my nerves. It was also drawing a lot of unneeded attention, paticulary from the pupils.

"Lo.. Let's just go yeah? It's not worth getting all worked up about." Listen to me Lorraine, please..

"You're worth fighting for Nikki. Fight for what you believe in, what you want right?"

"Oh for God's sake Lorraine, can't you two have your moment somewhere else? I have a school to run, I'm off. Oh and Lorraine?" Michael turned to look towards her, side eyeing me with a rather rude look. "You could do much better than her. Just saying." And with that he was off. Well, wasn't that hurtful. I could feel tears start to prick at the back of my eyelids. I shouldn't even be upset by his snide remark, it's not like he meant anything to me. Caught in my thoughts, I didn't notice Lorraine was stood right in front of me, her hand placed softly on my cheek, looking into my eyes.

"Nik..? You alright?"

"What..? Yeah, I'm fine. Honestly." Blunt, off, emotionless. Everything I'd always got so pissed at her for. Suddenly feeling bad, I grabbed Lorraine's hand and pulled her into my office again. Letting my tears flow all of a sudden, feeling weak, unlike the strong, army style person I was.

"Hey, come on. Don't cry ok? Ignore him, you're perfect. If anything it's you who could do so much better than me ok?" Lorraine whispered, pulling me over to my chair and pushing me slightly into it. Kneeling down in front of me, she took my hands, gazing into my eyes again. God, I loved her eyes, so blue and perfect. She was perfect. I leant forward and placed my forehead on hers, closing my eyes in the process, blocking it all out.

I felt so bad for Nikki, hearing Michael say that must of hurt. I still didn't get it, why wouldn't Nikki be good enough for me? Does Michael know something that I don't…? I doubt that very much, Nikki isn't the sort of person to open up to many people. I moved slightly and let her rest her head in the crook of my neck, caring for her for once, instead of the other way around. It felt weird, I wasn't used to caring for somebody. I felt out of control, but pushing this thought to the back of my mind, I looked down at Nikki, my girl. Placing a soft kiss on her forehead, I noticed that it was almost 2pm, so Tom would be back soon, great.

"Nik..? We need to go soon ok? Tom will be here soon, unless you want him to see you in this state?" I asked, smirking slightly at the last thing I said. "You haven't got anymore lessons now right? And I really don't want to be in the same room as Michael right now, so how about we go back to mine?"

"Yeah, that would be nice… Lorraine?"

"Yeah?"

"What does this mean for us…?" she hid her face after she said that, I loved the way that she went so shy around me. It was a completely new side to her personality, and I have to admit, I loved it.

"It means whatever you want it to mean, Nik. I ain't sayin' it will be easy, but I really like you. Pretty sure you like me too" I added at the end, laughing slightly.

"You're an idiot you know?" she implied, looking up at me as she said it, leaning forward. Her scent intoxicating me. Leaning further towards her, I closed my eyes, touching my lips on hers. It felt so good.

"Yeah.." I mumbled onto her lips. "I know".

(**Authors BS; sorry it's short, sorry the talking isn't good, I prefer he describing side of things, personally)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Please check out my other Lorikki fic: Stay, and please review. They encourage me to write faster.**

By mutual agreement we'd decided to go back to Lorraine's house, I'm not sure why. It was so beautiful, everything about it just screamed money. I think I was being a little too overcautious when it came to not touching, marking, or breaking anything because Lorraine decided that she needed to say something of it.

"Nik… Calm down. You can touch things you know? They won't break from your touch" she stated, laughing slightly. She must think I'm a right weirdo.

"Sorry, it's just.. God. Lo, your house is beautiful. Your carpet probably costs more than my entire house!"

"Are we really discussing my carpet? Come on, I want to show you my favourite room in this place."

She was smiling, I loved her smile. Taking my hand, she started pulling me towards the back of her house. Where has this suddenly confident Lorraine come from? I suddenly felt so.. Shy. It warmed my heart however, to see the effort she was suddenly making. I hoped it would last like this. Letting go of my hand, she opened the door into a room which was larger than my own living room, and it also contained a pool which was lit up by multi-coloured lighting. Lorraine dimmed the main light, and it looked even more beautiful. Grinning at me, she took my hand again and pulled me in, pushing me onto one of the sun loungers and lying on top of me, placing her unoccupied hand on my cheek. I smiled up at her, she really could do the whole 'emotional' thing when she tried. There was still a nagging thought in the back of my mind however; why was she suddenly like this? I didn't want her to be like this, then suddenly go back to her usual blunt, business like self. It worried me slightly, so I had to ask.

"What's up with you? Where has this sudden, confident Lorraine come from?" I asked softly, not wanting to come off to harsh, not wanting to scare her off. Feeling Lorraine move slightly, I placed my hand on her lower back, convincing her that I wasn't trying to be a cow, I was just curious. I wanted her to open up to me, to let me in.

"I just.. I want to make up for the way I've treated you recently. For how I cut everything off before. This is basically me trying to be more.. Human, I guess. It's not too full on is it?" she was worried now, it was actually pretty cute.

"No. God no Lo. I love it. I just.. I don't want you to be like this one minute, and a blunt, business bitch the next. I think it's really sweet that you're doing, well this.." I replied, rubbing her back slightly as I said it. She leaned her head closer to mine, her lips touching my cheek, moving closer to my ear. Her perfume was intoxicating, so I closed my eyes. I let her take control.

"I'm only a business bitch in school, Nik, but here.. Well.. I'm all yours." She whispered seductively into my ear. If I looked at her now, I know that she would be grinning. Moving my head to face her slightly, looking into her eyes, she started to move closer to me, so I met her halfway. Our lips meeting once again, but this time there would be no chance of anybody interrupting us.

Our kisses were getting more frantic, trying to make up for the time we'd lost, as Lorraine had quite rightly put it. Tongues battling for dominance, hands running up and down each other's bodies, trying to figure each other out. I placed my hand on the back of her neck, lingering over the zip of her dress, wondering if this was all happening too fast.

Pulling away slightly, I looked into her eyes. They were staring right back into mine, full of lust. The lighting in the room giving them a more mysterious look, instead of the usual blue colour that they were. Lips red from being on mine for so long, lipstick all smudged, with a large amount of it no doubt on my own lips. She bit her lip slightly, and cuddled up even closer to me.

"Nik..?"

"Yeah?"

"You ok?" she sounded worried, wanting to make sure I'm ok when I was just as worried about her.

"I was about to ask you the same thing.. I know this isn't the sort of thing you do.." I replied, wait, that makes me seem like someone who does this a lot! "Not that I do this all the time either.." I added quickly, before she could come up with a sarcastic response.

Kissing my neck softly, I could just about make out her quiet response.

"I'm fine, I'm happy."

"Me too.." I was more than happy in fact, but I wasn't about to go and scare her by telling her how happy she made me. I felt her lips curve into a smile on my neck, it felt so nice.

"We don't have to move anytime soon, do we Nik..?" I could tell her confidence had died down a little, but she was probably just tired, the same as me.

"Nah.. Unless you've got anywhere you need to be, Ms. Donnegan?" Laughing slightly at the use of her surname, I knew she hated it when I called her that outside of school. Feeling her poke my stomach softly, I started laughing again.

"Nope. I'm perfectly fine where I am, Ms. Boston. Two can play at that game, huh?" she was laughing too, making the situation even more perfect.

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her even closer to me, and I closed my eyes, remembering one of her quotes from the walls of Waterloo Road – "You can start something great from virtually nothing." Could we be the something great from her quote? Only time will tell.


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok, so, my last part of this story only received 100 hits, and I only got 2 reviews. I don't want to seem like an obnoxious twat, but if you could please review after you've read it, then I'd be grateful! Unless I get, say, 5 reviews on this chapter and the previous one, I probably won't update again. Soz.**

I really didn't want to speak to Michael again after his outburst the other week, but seeing as I'm the schools benefactress, I probably should. Stepping through the front doors, I sighed; this place really was my dream come true, but God, it wasn't half stressing me out. Ever since I was 15, money wasn't something I had to worry about, and as I'd got older I'd just got more of it. Now, at age 32, I was struggling and it scared me so much. I felt way too out of control and vulnerable, and with Michael throwing new ideas at me every day, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to cope much more.

Truthfully, talking to Nikki about all of this was really helping. She always knew what to say and when to say it, always forcing me to speak about what was bothering me. It was annoying at first, but it helped me to feel, well.. Slightly more human.

I checked my phone again, making sure that I was on time, early even. I didn't want to give Michael any reason to have a go at me, I really couldn't be bothered for it today. Maybe, just maybe, seeing my sister would cheer me up. She always had something funny to say. Stepping through into the secretaries office, Sonya was busy typing away for a change, instead of chatting to one of the pupils or one of the staff… A nice sight to see, but it could be a worrying one.

"'iya Son, you alright?" I asked, my accent shining through as always.

"Yeah.. You going in to see him?" She looked concerned, not exactly how I wanted her to reply. Shit.

"Why? He in a bad mood or something?"

"Um.. He broke up with Christine. And Christine's.. well, she's resigned as head of year 12, she wants to concentrate on her teaching, apparently."

Great. Just great. Now not only do I have to confront a most likely moody, and pissed off Michael, I also have to find someone to replace Christine as the head of year 12.. More money problems, just what I needed. I hadn't even stepped foot into Michaels office and my emotionless charade was already breaking, something which Sonya had picked up on. Just as I was about to stride into his office, all ready for some sort of battle, she got up and put her hand in front of the door.

"Lo, what's wrong? You can trust me you know.." Ugh, more talking. More laying my emotions out for people to see. I'm going to kill Nikki for this when I got home, ever since she'd told me to 'let my emotions out', as she'd put it, I was finding it harder to keep them locked away even when I needed them to be. Still, I should be able to trust Sonya right..? She is my sister after all.. But then again, it was because of her shooting her mouth off that Nikki was my girlfriend that we'd broken up.. No, it was my fault. I had to stop blaming her for that.

"Not now Son, ok..? Maybe later? I'm just worried that ol' grumpy git might be a little too grumpy for me today" I added, trying to sway the conversation with a little laughter. Hoping she'd buy into it and leave me alone so I could get this hell over and done with. Still, she did look slightly shocked by my response, probably because I'd practically said I'd open up to her. Shit.

"Ok… Well, see you later then? And.. I sort of know you and Nikki are back together. I'm happy for you Lor, you deserve some happiness and so does she." What the? Wait, what? How did she known?

"Sonya, wait. How the hell do you know about me and Nikki being back on?" I asked, verging on shouting. I didn't want people to know about us, not yet anyway. It still scared me. Imagining people's responses scared me, especially from the likes of Christine, Tom and Audrey. I wasn't exactly liked around here, and I really didn't want to add any fuel to the fire. I knew Nikki wouldn't of said anything so.. Michael. It had to be him. About to storm into his office again, I felt Sonya's hand on my shoulder.

"Son, get off me. He's so.. Ugh. He had no right to tell you!" Shouting now, letting my frustration out.

"No, he didn't tell me! He more… Shouted it, not to anybody though" She added quickly, clearly seeing the expression on my face worsen. "He was shouting it to himself as he came in here the other day, he didn't tell me. Lo, don't do anything stupid, please? Not to him, or Nikki.."

No.. I wouldn't do anything to hurt Nikki, not again. We'd finally got back together, and I'd already fallen too hard for her. Michael however, he was another story. Barging past Sonya into his office, all ready for some major war over it all, I found him sitting on the sofa closest to the door with a smirk on his face. Fantastic, he'd been listening in to mine and Son's conversation, and clearly something had amused him.

"What? Something about this whole thing strike you as funny, Mr Byrne? I would've thought you'd be slightly upset after splitting up with the love of your life." I added bitterly at the end, maybe it would be good for him to experience some of what I've been going through lately. Although, he didn't exactly seem too cut up about it.

"Love of my life? Oh please, Lorraine, everybody knew I didn't love her." He replied, laughing. I'd never known him to be so.. Heartless.

"What, so you've never loved her then? Someone else? A bit on the side maybe?" I wasn't sure why was sticking up for Christine exactly, she'd never liked me and God, she loved to make that clear. Something about the way that Michael was acting however, it reminded me of one of my past relationships. The memories came flooding back, and so did the anger.

"I just liked someone else. I only used her as a distraction!" Smirking again, like her feelings didn't matter at all. I knew I shouldn't of asked, but my curiosity overruled my head.

"Who?"

One word, one simple word reply. One word that would turn my life upside down completely.

"You."


	6. Chapter 6

**I think I've been emotionally traumatised by this show. Lets just say, I haven't been that affected by an episode of Waterloo Road since the one where Michael got run over at the end of series 7B. I am including Tom's death in this, as I had a lot of ideas for it, and since the last chapter you guys don't know what happened with Michael and Lorraine. You'll find out soon ;)**

**Oh. I'm sorry for not updating recently too, I've been so tired and blah blah blah. Please review, I'll write faster (promise). OH sorry it sucks. **

Where the heck was Lorraine? I hadn't seen her since she'd gone off to see Michael earlier… I had to admit, I was starting to worry slightly, but right now the school had bigger problems to worry about. It was Grantley's auction party, and I was trying to find Tom as he was supposed to be setting off the fireworks, but I had no idea where he was either. Maybe everybody was avoiding me… Maybe I smelt funny. Shut up, Nikki. He was probably looking for the joy that is Kyle Stack, the pupil who just last year assaulted me, and now claimed that he wanted to learn and get his exams done. Spotting Maggie, I quickly walked over as she might know where he is.

"Maggie, where's Tom? He's supposed to be setting off the fireworks isn't he?" I asked quickly, trying not to let myself get stressed out by the situation. I wanted this to be perfect just as much as everybody else.

"I was about to ask you the same thing! I asked Michael but he just ran off to his car, didn't look too happy either. He isn't even here tonight, not that I've seen him anyway."

"Oh… Well, do you want me to do it? Everybody looks like they're done and dusted here, so we should do them now, right?" I replied quietly, trying not to stress myself out about Michael's behaviour as I knew Lorraine was with him earlier. He was a good guy, he wouldn't do anything…

"Yes. Please do. Me and Christine will get everybody outside." Maggie's response distracting me from my thoughts, dragging me back to reality. Not that I minded. She walked off before I could reply however, so I started making my way outside, feeling somebody grab hold of my hand once I'd gotten outside of the main hall, frightening me for a second.

"Hey, Nik." Lorraine. Her voice making me feel so much more relaxed. Her hand intertwining with my own.

"Hey! Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere!" I asked, trying not to seem pissed, because I wasn't. I just cared. Her face dropped slightly however, so I leant in and pressed my lips against her forehead, surprisingly feeling no resistance from the benefactor. I hoped she was finally feeling, well, content. I wanted to be able to show a little affection in public, not in work however.

"I… Um… Can we talk later? It's… Pretty serious. Please?" she mumbled slightly, holding my hand tightly, hopefully a sign of reassurance that she wasn't going to call us off. I was still worried though.

"Sure Lo, you know we can. Want to come outside and help set up these fireworks? I sort of promised Maggie I'll do it, seeing as Tom's nowhere to be seen!" I asked, my annoyance at Tom's sudden interest in Kyle showing slightly. Her grip on my hand increasing again, pulling me towards the playground doors, smiling slightly. Her way of saying yes.

We stepped outside onto the playground, our hands still joined. The cold air felt so refreshing compared to the stuffiness of inside the school, it made me feel free, whereas the stuffy atmosphere just reminded me of the army, being cooped up in the tiny tanks with all my other teammates… I shuddered slightly, trying to push the memory out of my head. This wasn't the time, or the place to be thinking about it, tonight is supposed to be a happy night for Grantley. We walked over to where everything was due to be set up, and we both got it ready in a comfortable silence. That's what I liked about Lorraine, I never felt like we had to make conversation. We could sit with each other in complete silence and still feel happy, with no awkwardness lingering in the air. As soon as I had finished what I was doing, I snuck up behind her and wrapped my arms around her, savouring the few moments we would have together before the rest of the school came out. Placing her hands over mine, I heard her sigh slightly, pushing herself into me. I knew there was something wrong with her, but the chance of me managing to get it out of her when there are other people around were pretty slim, so I decided not to push her. Instead, I just pulled her close to me, not allowing her to get too cold as she was only in a dress and leather jacket. Looking up at the sky, I noticed that it was full of stars, not a cloud in sight, something that was very unusual for Greenock.

"Nikki…?" whispered Lorraine, her voice unusually quiet, not her usual 'I'm the boss, so fuck everybody' tone that she usually carried. Something that worried me greatly.

"Yes?" I asked, nuzzling my face into her hair slightly, inhaling the beautiful smell of her shampoo.

"Um… Promise me that you won't get mad, or kick off..?" again whispering, her voice scared, unsure. I twisted her around in my arms so she was facing me, so I could look into her eyes. Forcing her to look at me.

"I won't get mad, ok? Trust me…" I added at the end, stroking her cheek slightly with my thumb. She had such flawless skin, it made me feel so inadequate.

"Ok… Well, earlier when I was in the… Office with… Michael… He eh…" she stopped suddenly, her eyes widening, staring upwards towards the roof of the school.

"KYLE!" Rhiannon's scream cutting off anything I could've said to her. Piercing the quiet, peaceful atmosphere of the playground, causing me to spin around in shock, staring at whatever it was Lorraine was staring so intently at. My hand pulling away from hers in the process.

Tom was on the roof.

My best friend, the guy who I'd known for so long, was on the roof. With Kyle, who was perched precariously on the edge, staring down at all of us. The rest of the school were starting to pile out, and I had no idea where Michael was, he needed to be here to take care of the situation, even though he'd clearly done something to Lorraine, I needed him here. I was the only other deputy around, and I was frozen on the spot. I couldn't take my eyes off of him, I couldn't believe what was happening. Once again Tom Clarkson was risking his life for a pupil. I faintly heard Christine telling everybody to be quiet, the screams and the shouts slowly coming to a halt. I also felt Lorraine's hand wrapping itself around my own once again, squeezing it in reassurance. I squeezed hers back, it wasn't much of a gesture, but it was all I could manage right now. I felt slightly calmer though, her touch had that effect on me. I trusted what Tom was doing. I watched him as he extended his hand out to Kyle, encouraging him to step down and to get back inside. Kyle looked down, then back to Tom, accepting his hand, about to step down off of the ledge.

Everything after that happened too fast.

Kyle slipped, with Tom clearly trying to pull him back, spinning them both around, tripping backwards. Kyle's grip on his hand just not strong enough, too weak.

Tom fell, and I screamed, latching onto Lorraine's hand for support.

**(End of part 1, I didn't want to make it too long then have no ideas for the next part. Part 2 WILL be up in the next few days, if not, scream at me.)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm already over Tom's death, yet I was moping about Lozza leaving for over 3 weeks (I still am actually). I'm such an awful person. Anyway, here we go, sorry it's late, please review.**

I had to bring Nikki back home to mine for the night, or week, I wasn't even sure how long she was staying. I didn't care really, I just didn't want her on her own right now. As soon as Tom hit the ground, I knew there was no way back, the sound his spine made when he collided with the rock hard ground of MY school signalled the end of his life. I knew his death would hit Nikki hard, they were such good friends. Her stories of how he helped her throughout her stint in the army, and how he had originally hated her when she started teaching back in Rochdale often brought tears to my eyes, and laughter, lots of laughter. I knew his death wouldn't affect me as much though, I didn't know Tom as well as the others at Waterloo Road, and we'd never seen eye to eye over things relating to the school. I'd still miss him though, he was a nice guy. I'd had to drag her away from the whole scene, which Christine quickly began to take control off seeing as Michael was nowhere to be found. I must remember to give her some sort of credit, or recognition for taking control, as it was pretty obvious that nobody else was capable of doing so, and I was busy looking after my girlfriend… That still felt weird to say, a good weird though. I just needed time to get used to the whole situation, to allow my emotions to adjust to the whole "love" thing. My arms were her comfort back in the playground, her head burying itself into my shoulder, with me wincing in pain slightly in the progress. I stayed silent however, wrapping my arms around her, pulling her close to me. Helping her to block it all out…

I could still hear Nikki's quiet sobs through the posh wooden door leading to one of my bathrooms, where she was currently taking a bath. I was sat outside the room, listening out just in case she tried to do anything stupid, trying to be there for her. I didn't want to seem too intrusive though, so I stayed outside, nursing my shoulder. Sighing, I was pretty sure a bruise was going to appear in a few days, so no more dresses. Not without a jacket at least. I still needed to speak to Nikki about what happened with Michael after he'd told me about how he, well… Felt, about me, but it just didn't seem right to bombard her with this information after what had happened today. I felt selfish even thinking about it, so I tried to distract myself, trying not to think about my confrontation with Michael, or Tom's body colliding with the ground right in front of my eyes. Nothing worked however, the confrontation with Michael just kept replaying over and over in my head. It was like he was sat in my head, constantly demanding my attention, and getting angry when I didn't give it to him. Resting my head slightly against the wall, I went over what happened once again…

"_Michael, don't be stupid, you don't love me, you barely know me anymore!" I shouted at him, trying not to laugh at his stupidity. What the hell was he playing at? Watching him get up, he made his way towards me slowly, his usually sweet smile replaced by a rather menacing one. _

"_You don't get it do you Lorraine?" he said, his face creeping closer to mine, his breath blowing into my face. I could smell whiskey, great. Michael and drink had never mixed well. I backed up slightly, trying to get myself out of an awkward situation before it got worse. But he stopped me, his hand clasping around my shoulder, pulling me back to where I was originally standing. _

"_Michael… What the hell are you doing? Get off me!" Nearly shouting again, trying to keep cool, controlled. Refusing to let myself waver, or to show any weakness. It would just push him further. His grip tightened, his menacing smile turning into a smug grin. His other hand grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him, my entire body at his will. I had no fight left in me, my usual "what the fuck do you think you're doing" attitude had got up and gone. Great timing, I thought… Lost in thought, not paying attention to whatever Michael was saying, I felt a sharp jab of pain shoot through my shoulder. He'd pushed me backwards, my shoulder colliding with the corner of our filing cabinet. Refusing to scream, to let any knowledge of pain exit me, I just looked at him. Trying to wonder where the nice guy was, why he'd left. He knelt down in front of me, looking into my eyes._

"_Why can't you understand Lorraine…? You shouldn't be with her, it's me you want, me you need." His voice sent shivers up my spine. I grabbed my bag, my phone in my other hand, trying to get up as fast as was humanly possible in these heels. _

"_I don't know what the hell is wrong with you today Michael, but quit it, I don't need-" _

_His hand cut my off, silencing me by covering my mouth. His other hand resumed its place on my shoulder, squeezing it with all the strength he could manage. _

"_I need you Lorraine. I want you." His lips crashing onto mine as he finished his sentence. His lips tasted bitter, they were too forceful. I tried pushing him off, but Michael stood firm. He had strength I never knew he possessed. A door slam was all it took to get him off of me, Sonya must of come back into the receptionist area, forcing him to stop. He looked over to me, his gaze threatening. _

"_Tell anybody, and you'll be sorry." He said, simply, whilst adjusting his suit. Pushing me backwards once again, my shoulder crashing into the filing cabinet once more. Showing me his power. And he left, leaving me in a crumpled mess on the floor, tears making their way into my eyes…_

"Lo…? Hey, earth to Lorraine…? Nikki's voice finally entered my head, her gaze fixated on my shoulder. Shit, I didn't realise that I'd pulled my dress to one side so I could take a look at it. Fuck. I couldn't tell her now, her eyes were still red raw from crying. I don't know if she'd take this well, and I wanted to be there for her for a change. I was about to speak, try and make a joke about me gazing into space, before she asked the dreaded words…

"What's wrong with your shoulder Lo…?" her voice was full of concern. "Was this what you were going to talk to me about before… Well…" she sat down next to me, tears filling her eyes once again. I pulled her closer to me, my arms wrapping around her waist once more. A single kiss to her forehead. She looked up at me again, her eyes searching for answers. I sighed softly, placing a quick kiss on her lips.

"It was Michael…" I admitted, frowning slightly at myself for telling her at such a bad time, cursing myself for seeming weak. Tonight was going to be a long, emotional night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Again, sorry for not updating soon. Work has been a killer this week, and my imagination has just dried up (not that there was anything there like.) Feeling a little more motivated as I've decided to watch series 7B (best series ok) of Waterloo Rd. But hey, who cares? Here you go guys. And please review and all, I like them more than air. Oh, and I'm sorry for making Michael seem like that bad guy, I actually LOVE him. I will be less predictable soon y'all. **

She'd told me everything, the way Michael admitted his love to her, pushed her, almost forced her into doing things with him. I didn't know what to do, everything was just going wrong. Tom was gone, dead, and now this. Lorraine was adamant that we weren't going to involve the police, convincing me that it would be best to just let it slide. At least she was now sleeping peacefully next to me, her arms wrapped around my muscular chest, trying to support me in a way that she pulled off best with actions, not words.

Sighing, I looked over to the expensive looking clock on Lorraine's bedside table. I would never understand why she had so many expensive items and such a large house. I couldn't cope, not on my own anyway… My thoughts were drifting back off to Tom, about how close we were. Or used to be, until I moved up here midway through the term. We were finally getting our relationship back on track, it pained me to know that we could never get back to where we used to be. I wasn't the sort of person to dwell on the past either, I could brush things off, move forward in life. I did it with my mother, so I can do it with Tom. A silent tear running down the side of my face told me otherwise. Checking the clock again, I sighed once more. It was 3:23am, and I'd had around 1 hours sleep. Talking to Lorraine wasn't really an option, she had enough on her plate, and I couldn't exactly wake her up at this time just to talk, could I?

I moved slightly, trying to get into a more comfortable position, when the sheet fell slightly from Lorraine's bare chest, exposing her shoulder to me. It was so much worse than she'd said, swollen, black slightly from the bruise, and there were a few cuts too. I felt a pang of guilt surge through me, where was I when this was going on? My fingers were skating over the bruise, trying not to push too hard, I obviously didn't want to cause her any pain, or wake her for that matter. It didn't work however, as I felt her cool hands grip onto mine, moving them to her waist and placing them there. Her body moving closer to mine, closing the gap between us. No words, just actions. Her way of saying that she's here, Lorraine style. Neither of us said anything, we just stayed close together, nothing needed to be said right now anyway. Soon enough, we both drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

(_the next morning)_

I awoke, startled, sweat dripping down my forehead, greasing up my hair, a slight scream escaping my throat. I'd dreamt of Tom dying, only this time it was much worse. We were no longer in the Waterloo Road grounds, we were at Michael's house by the looks of things. Tom and Lorraine were stood against Michael's walls, with him stood just meters in front of them, wielding something. It looked like a knife, it had a slight glint to it, but I couldn't see. My vision was blurring, getting worse by the minute. Screaming out, calling Tom's name. He got to him first, throwing something at his chest, causing me to scream, pulling against the invisible force against me. He moved onto Lorraine next, taking his time, my vision was slowly coming back to me. His hands were all over her, touching her in places that only I should touch, his lips gliding over her body. I was screaming again, only this time nothing came out. Silence. His hand pulled back, ready to throw a punch, flying towards her face. I screamed once more. And then I woke up.

"Nikki…? Nik? Hey, are you ok?" her voice asked, whispering slightly, as if she was trying not to scare me. Her hands were on mine, clutching at them slightly.

"Nik? Talk to me? Please?" she asked, again, a slight hint of worry in her voice. I turned my face towards hers, looking at her eyes. They were always so blue in the morning, it made me melt slightly inside. In a moment of weakness, I threw my arms around her, pulling her as close as I could. My face hiding in her beautiful curls, the smell of her hair relaxing me slightly, allowing me to forget everything for just a split second. Then I burst into tears. Embarrassed didn't even come close to how I was feeling right now, I hated myself for crying. It was like being back in the army again, the vivid dreams that woke me at fuck knows when in the morning, sweating and screaming. Except then, I had nobody who cared. Nobody could understand how I felt back then, they all had their own problems to deal with. Now, I had Lorraine. I had no reason to worry, she wasn't going anywhere… I hoped.

Looking up at her, I blushed slightly, ashamed by my moment of weakness, trying to smile and make out like I was ok wasn't going to work here. Lorraine was shit at expressing her own emotions, but when she actually gave a fuck she could pick up on other people's emotions faster than anything.

"I'm sorry about that… I um…-" she cut me off, her lips on mine. Soft, gentle. Nothing too forcing or demanding. Pulling away slightly, she forced me to look in her eyes.

"Nik… Your best friend just died… I'm not expecting you to be ok. Nobody is. What happened with me and Michael is one thing, it can be repaired, I've still got you and you've still got me. But with Tom…-" she didn't finish. I'd started crying again. I still couldn't believe that he wasn't coming back. That he wasn't going to moan about the new timetable, or the new English course on Monday. I still couldn't accept that I'd never see his face again…

Fuck, this was affecting me much more than I thought.


	9. Chapter 9

**OK, so, here's the deal. **_**5 reviews**_**, then I will post the next chapter. My last chapter got a few reviews, but not enough. I'm greedy. Oh and I'm sorry the last chapter was depressing, my bad. Enjoy.**

_(Slight time jump – 1 week later)_

I wasn't sure why I'd decided to open the school so soon after Tom's death, even if it wasn't open to the pupils yet. I felt slightly bad, but I couldn't be seen to show any remorse over the situation. With Michael around, I had to act much stronger than I would've thought was humanely possible, and I had to be honest, it scared me to be around him when Nikki, or anybody else wasn't with me. The new deputy wasn't exactly helping much either. Who exactly say's 'awkward turtle' these days anyway? Was I drunk when I hired him…? I must have been, his ideas for the school were completely useless, and his self-confidence was on a whole new level compared to mine. At least I have proof whenever I say something slightly ego boosting, he doesn't. In this business, you have to know you're right all the time.

The drive to Waterloo Road hadn't exactly been an eventful one, Nikki stayed quiet throughout the entire journey, only speaking when we had to turn our separate ways. She went to her office, I had to go and see Michael, who suspiciously hadn't turned up on time. Last time this happened he'd stayed the night at Christine's, so I was silently praying that he'd got himself a new woman to annoy. I'd been waiting for him a good 20 minutes however, so I decided to text Nikki, and see how she was getting on. I knew she'd wanted to come up and see me whilst I was with Michael so she could keep an eye on the situation, her old army training taking an effect.

"_I'm bored. Michael isn't here yet… How you holdin' up? Lo. Xx"_

Sent. Now I wait. I started twirling around on my cream leather chair, trying to pass the time by doing something that only I would find amusing. I should be doing some paperwork or something else related to money or the school. I should be doing a lot of things, but I really couldn't be bothered right now. I was pissed off because Michael was late, and I just wanted to go and see Nikki. I clicked the home button on my phone, checking for a text but only feeling disappointment. She was probably busy. Don't worry Lorraine. She's fine. I started spinning slightly on the chair again, waiting patiently for a text, before I started gazing outside the window.

"Jeez, why did I have to open the school in a place where it rains 24/7?"I asked myself, mumbling aloud. I was fed up of the rain and cloud, my skin needed some vitamin D.

The slight vibration of my phone made me jump, thinking that Michael had crept up on me or something. Laughing to myself, I opened up my phone and checked the message from Nikki.

"_Not great. Too many memories here. Fancy coming to the PRU for a bit then? Nik. Xx"_

I knew I shouldn't of let her come back with me. Tom's death obviously hit her much harder than the majority of the staff here, and even with all this shit with me and Michael on her shoulders she still decided to come in. I hoped that she coping as well as she said she was. Sighing, I grabbed my bag and phone and quickly made my way to the PRU, where I found Nikki sat on one the kids chairs in the corner, staring into space, not realising that I'd entered the room.

"Hey, you." I mumbled, feeling slightly apprehensive about saying anything loudly. I didn't want to freak her out by scaring her. Thankfully, I didn't, and she turned her face towards me, a slight smile playing on her lips. Patting the chair next to her, I walked over and sat down, immediately relaxing in her presence. Her head soon found its way onto my shoulder, and I rested mine on top of hers, breathing in the slight smell of her shampoo. Taking her hand, I intertwined our fingers together, bringing her hand up to my mouth and kissing it softly, feeling her relax.

"Thank you" she whispered, giving my hand a slight squeeze.

"What for?" I asked, genuinely confused by what she just said. What exactly had I done to be thanked for?

"Just… Being here. I know it's not exactly something you enjoy, being the comforter, but you've done and you're doing a good job."

Looking up at me, she placed her spare hand on my cheek and pulled me closer, our lips locking for the first time that day. One sweet kiss, that was it, but it was enough. I wanted to distract her, if she'd let me, so I pulled her closer to me, pushing my lips back onto hers for the second time today. Feeling her kiss me back, I decided to go one step further, running my hands down her sides, feeling her shiver slightly when my hands met her skin.

"Michael isn't here… We can go home? Let me distract you…" I whispered seductively in her ear, not too sure if she was in the mood or not. I felt her shift away from me slightly, so I looked up at her, trying to see what it was she wanted to do. I wasn't going to push her into anything, but I was the sort of person who got over deaths pretty easily. She still hadn't replied… Shit. I bet she doesn't want to be distracted. For God's sake Lorraine, why can't you just embrace some human feelings for once. You clearly have no idea what it's like to lose such a close friend, you can't just expect-

Nikki's lips distracted me from my thoughts, pulling me back into reality. So she did want this. I grabbed her hands, and started pulling her in the direction of the car park where my baby was parked. We got to the main foyer of the school when I heard a car pull up in the car park. Fuck, Michael had arrived.

"Lo… What do we do?" Nikki asked, laughing slightly, still holding onto my hands. It felt so good hearing her laugh again. She was clearly happy, and I wasn't going to let him ruin anything, so I decided to be rebellious. Pulling her again, I ran into the lecture hall, shutting the door quickly behind me. We ran up to the back of the hall and sat down behind the back row of chairs, with me resting my head in Nikki's lap, both of us laughing silently like idiots. It was like I was 16 years old again, when I'd got caught smoking behind the bike shed by Michael, amongst other things.

Lifting myself up, I placed my hands on Nikki's cheeks, before straddling her. God, I was glad I'd decided to wear trousers today as straddling in a skirt was way too hard. And awkward. Grinning at her, I kissed her again. Rough and passionate. Let the distracting begin Nikki, let it begin, I thought, before getting on with business.

**A/N: Sorry it's not that good. Sorry it's depressing. Sorry Lorraine's character here is totally different to how she was portrayed in WR. Actually, I'm not sorry, because her portrayal in the show was shit. **


	10. Chapter 10

**So, I got 5 reviews on the last chapter, so here is the new update. Hope you enjoy. More reviews = faster updates. Thank you to all who review, especially JamesLuver as you've reviewed so many chapters of mine! **

I was still breathing heavily from Lorraine's 'distraction' earlier on. God she was good, she was so good. Lying on the floor of the lecture hall, her hand over my mouth to keep me quiet, her other hand slowly making its way down my chest. She may not have much experience in the whole lesbian department, but she was fantastically good. Playing with her beautiful blonde hair, I looked down to see that she'd closed her eyes, perhaps this was soothing. We'd spent the past 10 minutes just embracing one another, thankful to have a few moments alone where our thoughts were happy, nobody could ruin it for us. I was still sad about Tom, of course, but I knew I had to move on, make the school a better place. There were so many things I could do, and setting up a girls football team was going to be the first thing on my list. I was going to make Tom proud, and I could hardly do that by sitting around moping all day. Looking back down at Lorraine again, I felt my heart swell slightly. She looked so beautiful and relaxed. For once, she had nothing stressing her out. I nuzzled my face softly against her hair, feeling a little embarrassed over my show of affection. Stop being so soppy Nikki, for God's sake. Kissing her shoulder, I sighed slightly. It had been just over a week since Michael had attacked her, but you could still see the remains of what he'd done by looking at her shoulder. Well, I could see it, as her top still hadn't been put back on properly. To anybody else, she was fine, but it's not as if they cared anyway, well Sonya would care, but she's family. I felt the anger start to bubble inside of me, still annoyed that I hadn't confronted Michael about this. I felt like it was my duty to say something, but I didn't want to make it worse for Lorraine. Moving closer to her, I started kissing her neck, trying to awaken her peacefully from her relaxed state. I could hear footsteps outside of the hall, and I was silently praying that they wouldn't come in here. Although we were well hidden in the back, neither of us were in an acceptable state to be seen, and I really didn't want any more fuel added to Michael's hate campaign. Moving my lips closer to her ears, I started kissing her again, mumbling words every so often. Telling her how perfect she was, how beautiful she was, and how she made me happy, the smile on her face growing each time I said something else. Her hand was suddenly holding mine, pulling it towards her, resting it on her thigh, her hand on top of my own.

"Nik…? Shall we go to the pub tonight…? Then you can come back to mine…?" she asked, her voice wavering slightly, as if she was worrying that I was going to say no. As if I would ever do that. However, I had a deal to make with her.

"Yes… But only if you let me set up a girls football team? Please Lorraine, I know it's more money, but I want to do it for Tom. Take money out of my wages if it makes it easier… Please?" I asked, feeling a little guilty for asking when she was struggling with funding for the school. I didn't want her to feel like I was using her for money.

Lorraine moved slightly, so she was looking me, our eyes gazing into each others lovingly. Smiling slightly, she responded.

"It's for Tom Nik, of course we can ok? I'll have to look at the budgeting and I'll have a talk with my accountant." She reached up, mumbling the final few words on my lips, kissing me softly. Before I even had a chance to turn the kiss into something more passionate, she pulled away, grinning at me and getting up, holding out her hand for me to take.

"Come on, I need to go and see Michael before he gets really pissed off, and you can do something useful in a corner so-"

"Wait, I get to sit in the corner? Have I done something wrong Miss Donnegan?" I asked, flirting slightly. She giggled quietly. I love it when she did that, it was something that very few people got to see. Well, I'd never seen her act so… Carefree with anybody else anyway. Taking her hand, I stood up and looked her up and down, chuckling slightly to myself.

"Lo, you can't go and see him looking like that…" I stated, sorting out her top before she pulled away to do it herself as I had 'no eye for fashion' apparently. As soon as she'd finished however, she pulled me close for a hug, her happy, carefree attitude being replaced by a scared one. I didn't want her to worry though, so I did something I'd never thought I'd do, I told her that she should turn on her work mode, not letting any emotions past, not letting anything phase her.

"I… I don't know if I can Nik. I want to, but I don't think I can anymore. I don't think I want to anyway. I need practise at being a real human being, right? So this is practise…"

I felt a small pang of guilt run through me when she said that. I remembered our little argument in the main foyer a month or so ago, where I'd knocked her back saying that she needed practise at being a real human being before I'd have anything more to do with her.

"I'm sorry I said that, you know?"

"No, don't be sorry. God, don't be. I needed you to say that. Nobody likes a heartless, emotional bitch anyway though do-"

"Don't Lorraine, just don't. You're perfect to me, ok?" I stated, grinning slightly. True, she could be a heartless bitch at times, but in her line of work, I guess you needed to be one. Like she said, in her line of business you have to know that you're right all the time. I leant in and kissed her cheek, hiding my blushing cheeks from being such a soppy cow, and then I pulled her in the direction of Michael's office before either of us got carried away.

We'd got as far as the door to enter Sonya's receptionist office before we both stopped. I watched Lorraine, looking for any signs of fear or worry in her expression. There was nothing, she'd gone into her work mode, I knew she would.

"You'll stay in there too, won't you Nik…?" she mumbled, running her hand over mine gently.

"Of course, I'm not going anywhere" I responded, catching her hand and squeezing it before letting go.

And with that, we went in.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hope this chapter is ok, I was running out of ideas for this one if I'm honest! Sorry there isn't Michael/Lorraine drama here, I thought if I typed it, it would ruin it. But there is more drama to come! Please review, cheers, thanks, peace out. **

Well that was fucking pointless. Michael just acted like nothing happened, even though he knew full well that I knew what he'd done to Lorraine. A part of me was thinking that he was genuinely sorry about it, as he was such a nice guy back in Rochdale when I first got appointed, but another part of me, most likely the army side, was screaming at me to be vigilant. I really wanted to keep Lorraine safe, as pathetic and as soppy as that sounded. Still, as pointless as it was, I got a lot of planning done in preparation for the girls football team that I was going to be running. I was going to have Kacey as the captain, and I knew a few of the other new girls would definitely sign up. Taking charge of the guys football team may prove to be a bit more of a challenge, especially as Barry Barry had wanted to sign up last term, and I don't think he'd be too happy about having a female as a coach. I did think about having Michael help out, but that thought quickly left my mind. That left George and Grantly, and with Grantly being ill, that left George. Fantastic. I was still working away, thinking about Tom, when I felt a pair of arms wrapping themselves around me, and Lorraine's hair draping over my shoulders, tickling me slightly.

"He's gone Nik… Are you nearly done there?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, pointing towards my paperwork.

"I'm ready when you are. We off to yours or mine to get ready?"

"Um…" she thought about it for a moment, nuzzling her face into my neck and kissing it softly. "Let's go to mine? No offence, but your mirror really isn't big enough!"

Slapping her hand playfully, I turned around to look at her, glad to see that she wasn't down about having to be in the same room as Michael.

"Just because I don't spend hours in front of it every morning Lo! Besides, my hair doesn't take much before it's ready anyway!"

"I do not take hours! Ok, maybe a few, but that's normal!" she replied, her voice raising slightly in a joking manner, her smile widening, reaching her eyes. It made me melt inside.

I raised my hand and placed it on her cheek, my thumb stroking her softly, her soft skin taking my breath away. She was so beautiful, it made me feel so pathetically inadequate. Gazing into her eyes, our faces inched closer and closer to each others, her perfume intoxicating me once more. Making me forget where we were and who could walk in at any moment, making me forget about all the shit that's been going on. My lips skated across hers slowly, as if I was trying to prolong the moment. Of course I was, don't be stupid Nikki. Her tongue tracing my bottom lip, making me shiver with anticipation, causing my arms to wrap around her and pull her closer to me, wanting to take things further. Enjoying the risky feeling that somebody could walk in at any moment, although I wasn't sure that Lorraine felt the same. A door slamming in the background confirmed my theory, as she quickly backed away, giving me an apologetic look in the progress. Still, it was a good job she did, as Michael walked into the room, eyeing us up like we'd been caught doing something that we shouldn't. Well, technically we nearly were, but he hadn't seen us so I wasn't sure what his problem was.

"If you two are going to play tonsil tennis, then try not to make it so damn obvious." His snide comment cut through the room, causing both myself and Lorraine to wonder what the hell it was that he'd noticed. Then I saw the look in Lorraine's eyes as she looked at my lips. She'd been wearing lipstick, a noticeable red one at that. And it was all over my lips. I ran my hand over them, quickly trying to remove any traces of what just happened, not that it would make any difference.

"I heard that everybody was going to the pub tonight? Celebrating something?" Michael asked, his voice returning to a happier tone, although I could still detect a slight hint of sarcasm. I looked at Lorraine, not sure what to say. I didn't know if she'd wanted him to come or not, hell, I didn't even know how many people she'd asked to go tonight. It was really unlike her though, so she must have something planned…

"Uh, yeah… Um… No nothing to celebrate, just a… Get together. Down the local. I was thinking of doing something for Tom, a toast or something… It wasn't really for me to decide." She replied, looking at me as she spoke the last few words. Smiling at her, I mouthed thank you. It was all I could do right now that didn't involve kissing her or showing some form of affection, and although I would feel no greater joy than winding Michael up, I really didn't want anything else to happen to Lorraine, so I kept my mouth shut.

"Ah, right. Well, first rounds on me. I'll see you all there." He stated whilst grabbing a few files. Before Lorraine even had a chance to reply, he was out of the door. Shit.

"Lo, are you sure you're ok with him coming…?" I asked, turning back around to look at her, her expression unreadable.

I watched as she closed her eyes, like she was trying to block everything out for a moment, before she opened them and looked back at me.

"Tonight isn't about him ok? It's about Tom. I really want to do this for him, even though I didn't know him as well as you, or some of the other kids. Besides, so many other people will be there, and Sian will be there too. She was a… Good influence on him, maybe she can help? I wanted to try and get her back in her job too. And… Well… There are other reasons I wanted to get everybody together, Nikki." She replied, smiling. The smile reached her eyes again, so I knew she was ok. For now, anyway.

"Hey, I'm really glad you're doing all this ok? I appreciate it, the other guys will appreciate it, and Tom would've appreciated it. It will be nice to see Sian again too, I've not seen her in ages."

Taking her hand, I stood up and started walking to the door, grabbing all of our things in the process.

"Come on Lo, we'll never make it on time if we don't leave now." I stated, winking at her, earning myself a laugh. I dropped her hand as soon as we were out of Sonya's office, as I wasn't sure how comfortable she was with the whole public affection thing, considering she struggled with it enough when we were alone. Before I'd even had a chance to look at her, I felt her hand wrap around mine again, squeezing it softly. Smiling, I squeezed her hand back, and carried on walking towards her car. This all still felt like a dream to me, a Ferrari was something that I would see on the streets of London when I was training, something that I could never see myself being able to drive in a million years. Then there was Lorraine, the sort of woman whose beauty is so damn overwhelming that sometimes you can do nothing but stare. True, her personality could be shit at times, but once you got passed all of the 'work before pleasure' shit, she had once of the most amazing and most caring personalities ever. I was lucky. Too lucky.

"Nikki? Nik? Nik, for God's sake, stop staring at me." She joked, her voice bringing me back to planet Earth. She was too perfect, and I couldn't wait till tonight.

**Wow, this actually long. Yay. Ps, I'm still so over the moon for Heather & Ellie. I would pay for the sort of relationship that those two have. That is all. **


	12. Chapter 12

**This chapter is so bad, I really didn't know where I was going with this one. If you have any ideas, please tell me, because I'm losing ideas for this storyline. **** I'm also sorry that there isn't all that much drama, again. I really wanted this chapter to be based purely on the whole Tom scenario, and Lorraine embracing her emotions. Please review, enjoy. **

Shit. Ok, we're here. Fuck, pull yourself together Lorraine, you have to do this, you have to prove to yourself that you're not the heartless bitch that everybody thinks you are. I knew this night was predominately about Tom, but there was another reason I'd pulled all the staff in tonight. I wanted to make a public announcement about me and Nikki. Firstly, I wanted to prove to myself that I could get past all the demons that had bothered me in my teenage years, and secondly, I knew that Nikki would want to make this public sooner or later, so why not now?

Stepping out of my Ferrari, I looked around, noticing that Sian's car was already here, as was Michaels. Good, hopefully they were inside talking. They had one hell of a chemistry, a little like the one I had with Nikki… I turned around to look at her, noticing that she was staring off into the distance, most likely thinking about Tom. I hated seeing her like this, but I had no idea how to manage these sort of situations. Whenever Sonya got upset, I just ignored it, just like I did when she was upset over mum. I couldn't even manage my own emotions, let alone someone else's. Taking hold of Nikki's hand, I started walking in the direction of the pub, dropping it just before we went inside. I wanted her to feel like I didn't want anybody knowing, that way I could really surprise her tonight. I could really show her that I wasn't the same old emotionless cow as before. I could prove to her that her heart wasn't going to be at risk by being with me. Although this was all something I wanted to prove to Nikki, I also wanted to prove it to myself. I was always the kid who never shared anything with anybody, the one who would only make an effort with others if business was involved. The kid who cut off all ties with her mother at the age of 18.

"Lo…? We going in or not? Everybody is waiting…"

Nikki's question grabbed my attention, pulling me back to reality. Looking up to her, I smiled softly and walked inside, with her following swiftly.

"Evening campers!" I said, greeting the vaguely happy faces of past and present staff. Gaining a few mumbled evenings and hellos in reply, I motioned for Nikki to go and sit down whilst I got us both a drink, seeing as everybody else had already gotten one.

Walking over to the bar, I managed to turn the heads of a few teenage boys, most likely underage. Sighing, I resisted the urge to stick my finger up at them, instead I just continued walking over to the bar.

** (-)**

"Right guys, can I have your attention please?" I asked, trying to be as polite as I could. I wasn't really much of a public speaker, that was something Michael was good at. Not that I wanted to think about him right now, although he did look quite content over in the corner with Sian. Me and Nikki still hadn't decided how we were going to tackle the situation with him, as Nikki had quite obviously had other things on her mind. As the mumblings finally came to an end, I stood up.

"So, we… Well, we all know why we're here tonight. To have a toast to Tom Clarkson. Now… I didn't know him all that well, so… Nik? Sian? Matt? Would any of you guys like to say something before we have a toast?" I asked, purposely leaving Michael's name out, and silently hoping that Nikki would say something before I made my own announcement. It would help her to get her feelings out there, I guess. Not that I'd had much experience in the whole 'emotion' department.

All eyes had turned towards Nikki, probably because her and Tom were so close in the past. Before I'd even had the opportunity to ask her if this was all ok, she stood up, her hands shaking slightly. I wished I could just reach out and grab them, silently telling her that it would all be ok, but I couldn't. Instead, I rubbed my foot against her leg, earning myself a small smile in return.

"Um… Well… We all knew Tom. He was... An incredible guy. Always putting the kids before himself. And although that was… An inspirational thing to do, it was also the trait that led him to his death… He'd appreciate this, he really would. Considering he spent the majority of time in a pub."

She stopped, laughing slightly, before her smile turned into a frown, tears threatening to overflow. I nudged her leg with my foot again, another silent reminder that it was all going to be ok. She looked at me, her mouth opening as if she was going to say something, but nothing came out. Smiling at her, I motioned for her to sit down, whilst Janeece decided to say something, swiftly followed by Matt and Grantly.

The speeches were beautiful, and even reduced me to having tears in my eyes. Controlling my emotions, I pushed them back, as I always did. Nikki however was another story, silent tears were running down her face. Everybody had finished their speeches, and I knew I had to do the toast before I announced that me and Nikki were together. Fuck, I was nervous. I was putting my emotions out on a table for people to look at, to take and to hurt, but I didn't care this time.

"Ok, guys, can we raise our glasses please?" I asked, receiving a quick response, everybody eager to do something for Tom.

"To Tom" we all announced, our glasses clinking together, a peaceful atmosphere descending over us. Some people looked like there were about to go, so I knew I had to grab this opportunity. It was now or never, Lorraine.

"Before you all go, I have one last thing I need to say." I said, watching Nikki as she looked up to me curiously, her face full of concern. I moved so that I was behind her, and I placed my arms on her shoulders.

"Me and Nik, well… We're together. I wanted to get this out in the open, and I wanted you all to know, especially the ones who still work under me at Waterloo Road. And… I wanted to say, I'm sorry Nik… I screwed up before, I was scared, but not this time." I finished, leaning forward to kiss her cheek, hearing a few mumbles before I got a slight applause.

"Lo, that was… Wow. Thank you. I forgave you though, for screwing up before. Let's just look to the future now, yeah?" Nikki asked, her voice barely reaching above a whisper.

"Yeah…" I replied, my smile reaching my eyes, I finally felt happy. Leaning forward once more, I pressed my lips onto hers, once again hearing a few mumbles, and a few shouts of 'get in there', mainly coming from Matt, Janeece and Sonya. Smiling against Nikki's lips, I kissed her once more, my eyes opening slightly, catching a glimpse of Michael's expression. He looked angry, so fucking angry. I should be worried, but I wasn't. I had Nikki by my side, and what did he have? Nothing. Nothing but pure anger and jealously.

**A/N: sorry it's shit. And oh at the irony of the fact that 'Let Her Go' was playing whilst I wrote the last few paragraphs. Please review. **


	13. Chapter 13

**I have no ideas for a new chapter after this, so please leave some ideas in the comments otherwise I doubt I'll be updating much. (I have the imagination of a fish. Actually, that is offensive to fish).**

I had no words for how amazing last night was. We'd rushed home after the night had ended, wanting to get away from the prying eyes as quick as possible. Wanting to be alone. Rushing up the stairs, we'd left a trail of clothes leading into Lorraine's bedroom, clothes that were still there right now. The sex was amazing, it always was, but there was something else about last night, something else that made it special. The fact that we didn't have to creep around anymore, we didn't have to hide… It was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Knowing that Lorraine felt more... Well, confident about us, it made me feel so happy. Most of the girls that I'd dated during the army never wanted to make our relationship public, too scared of what other people would have to say about it. It made me trust people less, it made me wonder why I'd ever bother with relationships ever again, but the more I think about it, the more glad I am about giving Lorraine a second chance. She'd proved herself so much last night, not that she'd needed to, but it was amazing to see. Seeing her and Sonya go off for a chat afterwards was beautiful, as they'd never really been that close. Simple, yet positive things like that really made my heart melt. I'd always found it funny, as other kind gestures rarely got me emotional, whereas simple things did.

Memories flooded back as I watched Lorraine sleep. How she'd announced to our workmates about us, how her lips caressed mine, how her smile let up the room. Stroking her hair softly, I smiled. She'd changed so much since we started this whole dating thing, but it was changing for the better. She was no longer up tight, not willing to let anybody see her emotions. Well, she'd let me see them, not too sure about anybody else. I was so proud to call her my, well… Girlfriend.

**(-)**

"Lo? Lo? Lorraine, come on! Are you ready yet?" I shouted up the stairs, trying to push her into hurrying up. I'd never known someone to take so long with their makeup. Or hair, whichever one she was doing. I could hear her running around in her heels, gracefully rushing down the stairs, being careful not to trip.

"It takes time to look this perfect, Nik." She simply replied, getting dangerously close, trying to start something. As much as I wanted something to happen, I knew we had to leave. I had a meeting with Michael and Simon about some new scheme. Basically, 2 or more hours of me sat there listening to the both of them squabble.

"Yeah, you know you look perfect without all of that, right? But come on, we need to go. I have to go and spend a few hours of my time listening to two children argue."

"You're talking about Simon and Michael, right? Well, Simon might not be deputy for much longer, I think Sian is coming back. Yesterday night seemed to convince her, she's missing everybody. Her new school just isn't what she was expecting…" Lorraine started mumbling, talking quietly to herself, probably trying to take her mind of the new school day.

"Lo, are you still worried about Michael?" I asked, getting straight to the point. I bothered me to know that no matter where he was, he was still in her head. Bugging her, making her feel like nothing.

"No… I just… I don't know, ok? Nothing really happened, yet I'm petrified of being in the same room as him these days… I miss his sweet personality, the one he had before he met Christine."  
"So do I, he had more… Self control then too. He knew what he was doing. But look, we're not letting him get to you ok? And you won't be alone with him, I won't let that happen ok?"

Looking her in the eyes, I placed my hands on her cheeks, pressing my lips softly onto hers, a reassuring kiss that everything was going to be ok. Pulling back, I kissed her cheek, her nose, her forehead, before moving back to look at her. Trying to figure out what was going on in that business head.

"So, do you believe me?" I asked, my voice taking on a slightly flirtatious tone.  
"Hmm… I may need more convincing…" she replied, playing the innocent, trying to make me feel guilty.

"If I drive fast… We could have an extra 15 minutes here… What can we do in 15 minutes Nik…?" she asked, playing the innocent once more. Testing all of my willpower.

Her lips quickly found their way onto mine, knowing that she'd won. Knowing that I'd give in eventually.

I was going to end up seriously late, and I was end up going to get seriously chewed out by Michael. Shit.

**Authors BS: sorry it's short, like I said, I'm running out of ideas. Please, please leave some. And reviews. And sorry it's not very good. Ps, happy birthday Daniela (I want to know if she's drunk right now. Ugh. Fangirl issues).**


	14. Chapter 14

**It's results day Thursday. If I haven't updated by say… Sunday, I've probably dug myself a hole and buried myself in it. **

**On the plus side, I'm listening to fun. aka the best music makers ever. **

**Thank you for the reviews. Your comments gave me a few ideas, and encouraged me to keep writing this fic. I hope it's ok!**

"Nikki, what part of 8am didn't you understand?" Michael asked, his voice penetrating my ears the second I stepped into his office. Sighing, I mumbled some excuse about the traffic being bad before sitting down opposite him, mentally preparing myself for what was about to come.

The meeting was the same old crap as usual. I watched as Simon jotted down something about the school, Sian nodding along with the ideas, and Michael kept going on and on about how shit Lorraine was being in regards to the money. I knew better than to snap, but I really couldn't help myself…

"Michael, she's not a bottomless financial pit, quit treating her like one."

I watched him as he signed, and leaned backwards on his chair, smirking slightly. He was clearly pleased to have gotten a reaction from me, something he could use against me, or Lorraine should the need arise. Fantastic.

"Nikki, Lorraine's money issues are the least of my worries-"

"What?! How can they be the least of your worries?" I asked, cutting him off. Shouting slightly.

"She pays your wages, her money keeps this school up and running!" My voice rose again, capturing the attention of Sian, who quickly tried to diffuse the situation by putting her hand over Michael's, soothing him slightly. An action which made me burn up inside. How could she touch him when he… This made no sense.

"Keep your personal relationships and feelings to one side for the meeting. I expected better of you, Nikki." He mumbled, his voice dropping slightly towards the end, as if he was hoping I wouldn't hear it, yet he knew I would. My hand clenched slightly underneath the table, I was always professional, how dare he comment on that. After all he'd done to Lorraine, and after everything that had happened with Tom, I would've thought he'd have a little… Well, respect, decency even. Decency to shut up anyway.

Sian's hand was still on his, her thumb rubbing small circles into his hand. It made me feel sick, angry. Here he was, preaching about how I should remain professional during meetings, yet here he was having some sort of moment with Sian. I gave her a questioning look, watching as she shook her head slightly, watching as he glared at me.

Simon quickly mumbled some excuse about needed to talk to Maggie and left, clearly sensing the tension in the room. I wished I could follow, the tension was worsening, but I had to stay. I had to back her up, I had to back my girlfriend up…

"You wouldn't have a job without Lorraine, Michael. You might do well to remember that." I stated, an authoritative hint to my tone. Using that probably wasn't my best technique, as I knew he had the power to fire me from Waterloo Road, but I knew Lorraine wouldn't let him… She'd back me up, she always did.

"Nik… Just go, yeah? We um… Got the things we needed for the meeting sorted… I'll catch up with you later?" Sian mumbled, her voice wavering slightly. Was she scared? Did she know something I didn't? I threw her another questioning glance whilst Michael grunted slightly. He really was in a vile mood today.

I quickly collected my things and made my way to the door, mumbling a quick yes to Sian about seeing her later. I closed the door and pulled my phone out, ready to text Lorraine that I was out of the meeting. Ready to ask if she wanted to meet up… Hoping.

I got to my office, my office I used to share with Tom, and dumped my things on my desk, quickly grabbing a seat on the sofa in the corner. Deep breaths Nik, deep breaths, I thought to myself, trying to push the thought of an oncoming panic attack away. I couldn't have on here, not in the school, not now. More deep breaths. More failed attempts at pushing it away. Tears started falling, and I cursed myself slightly. Showing weakness at home was one thing, but here, in school? It was like broadcasting your emotions to the world. Anybody could walk in, anybody could see, but that didn't stop me. I buried my face in my hands, trying to take myself to a happy place, like I was told to do. I took myself back to the night in the pub, where Lorraine managed to get the courage to make our relationship public, where her arms wrapped around me, the warmth. It suddenly all felt real, too real for just a memory, so I opened my eyes, and I saw her. My beautiful girlfriend sat next to me, her arms wrapped around me, her smile lighting up the room.

I quickly wiped away my tears, erasing all traces of my weak moment, and pressed my lips against hers, not caring anymore. Feeling her lips kiss me back, I suddenly felt happy, the thought of an oncoming panic attack gone. Her mere presence making me feel better, making me forget about everything except her lips on mine. As always, she pulled away far too soon, and looked at me, blushing slightly, smiling.

"Feel better now?" She asked, grinning slightly. A hint of flirtatiousness in her voice.

"Oh… I guess… Don't want to boost your ego too much, do I Lo?" I replied, returning the flirty tone.

"How was the meeting?" she asked, quickly changing the subject to a more professional one. Of course she'd want to know what went on, it was her school. Sighing, I quickly mumbled out a response.

"Michael was in a vile mood, complaining about you and money… Same old there. Simon wrote everything down, following orders like a little lapdog, and Sian… Well, she started comforting him when he got mad… How he had the nerve to talk to me about professionalism when they were… Ugh." I sighed again, watching Lorraine's face turning from a concerned expression, to one of humor.

"Looks like we have some competition in the couple department, ey' Nik." She replied, winking.

Nuzzling my face into her shoulder, I laughed softly, wishing that we could be somewhere a little more private, somewhere where we wouldn't be interrupted. She stroked my hair softly, playing with one strand, wrapping it around her finger, telling me that it will all be ok, she'd sort Michael out, and that the school would be ok in her own words. Staying silent, I nodded. It would all be ok, it gets better. She'd be ok too, we'd be ok. That's what we were trying to tell each other, saying it would all be ok, just without the words. We didn't need words, and that's what made me love her, love our relationship, and maybe one day I'd tell her that.


	15. Chapter 15

**OK, so I am INSANELY happy about my exam results (except biology, but that can just rot in a corner – I'm focusing on the good results) – if you follow me on Twitter, I'm sure you've already seen the tweets about my results, how sad of me. So, as a result, this chapter is pure fluff, no drama, no Michael, none of that shit. It's set the night after the last chapter. & yes, it's short, but it's more of a filler chapter!**

**Please review, as I'm unsure of whether people are reading this still, and it puts me off updating!**

I'd told Nikki to go and sit in the living room whilst I got things ready, placing the cutlery in the right places, smoothing out the table cloth, and perfecting our meal. I really wanted to take her mind off of the argument she had with Michael, and I thought this would be a perfect way to start it. I wasn't exactly a perfect cook, being a business woman I never really had the time to learn, or to even bother practising, I always hired someone. However, this was different. It wasn't for me, it was for Nik.

I quickly scanned the room, double checking that everything was in the right place, allowing my OCD to go a little crazy. I wanted it to be perfect, it had to be perfect. Then, I proceeded to walk into the living room, where my beautiful girlfriend was sitting on the sofa, phone in one hand, pen in the other, quickly scribbling something down on a pupils work. It was a cute sight to see, but also a worrying one. I hated seeing her stressed. When I stressed, I could easily sort it out; a quick call to Tanya to change a booking, a quick cheque to sort out a problem, easily done. However, when Nikki was stressed, it usually involved Michael, or a troublesome pupil, and there was nothing you could do about that, people never changed, no matter what they promise.

Walking up behind her, I wrapped my arms around her neck, kissing her hair, smelling her shampoo, watching as she dropped her pen and placed her phone on my pristine table.

"Hey, Nik" I mumbled, as I proceeded to kiss the back of her neck, hearing her sigh slightly at the feel of my lips on her skin.

"Hey Lor… You've returned" she replied, giggling slightly, placing her hands over mine. I refused to succumb to her flirtatious voice, so I quickly mumbled a reply before wandering back into the kitchen, where I'd hope she'd follow, secretly knowing she would.

Grabbing her hand as soon as she walked in, I escorted her to her seat, and pushed her chair in for her after she'd sat down, hoping I wasn't being too cheesy or that I wasn't making some sort of stupid mistake. After all, I was used to someone treating me, not the other way around. Still, this was all a part of being 'human' I guess, although some people really didn't act like this at all. They picked who they wanted to be nice to, and wore a look of disgust when dealing with the rest. Shaking the thought out of my head, I knelt down slightly and kissed her, just quickly. I had to keep her wanting more, I had to keep her on her toes tonight. As soon as my lips left hers, I walked over and sat down opposite her, taking a quick moment to just look at her. Nikki always told me how lucky SHE was to have gotten a chance with someone like me, but I always felt like I was the lucky one. Finding someone that would put up with my personality was hard. My eyes suddenly met with Nikki's, and I quickly blushed and averted them, a little embarrassed that I'd gotten caught staring, and I got on with eating my meal, with Nikki copying my actions.

**(-)**

"Wow, Lo, I'm impressed! I didn't realise you could cook so well!" Nikki blurted out, winking in the process, driving me crazy. I smiled back at her and shuffled a little closer to her on the sofa, placing my glass of wine on the table in the process.

"There's still many hidden things you don't know about me, Ms Boston." I whispered back in reply, still shuffling closer to her, getting so close that we could touch, my hand wrapping around hers, pulling her closer.

Nikki pulled my chin up slightly, giving her access to my lips, pushing hers onto mine. One kiss, two, three, then she moved on to my neck, sucking slightly at certain points, earning a slight moan from me. I moved so that I was stradding her, my mouth placed next to her ear. I was ready to say it.

"Nik…?" I asked, trying to sound as confident as I could, given the circumstances.

"Yes?"

"I… I love you" I whispered into her ear, smiling as I said it. Feeling proud that I'd said it.

Waiting. Still waiting. Nothing was said. I pulled back slightly so I could look at her properly.

I hadn't really got anything to worry about, her smile was so big, it made me melt inside.

"I love you too, Lo" she replied, kissing me, passionately.

Tonight was going to be good.

**Sorry that last part sucks I'M SORRY but tired. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Here's an actual update! To the person who said that asking for reviews ruins it for the reader, I agree in some ways, but I was only getting 1 review per chapter, so I didn't want to bother updating. At least I still update mine. ;)**

**This chapter is another fluff related filler, as I'm waiting until I get some good inspiration in regards to the Michael/Sian/Lorikki stuff. No idea when the next part will be, as I'm currently repainting my room, but I'm off work all week so it should be soon!**

**Again, thanks to JamesLuver for the constant reviews!**

Yawning, I stretched out, my hand brushing Lorraine's smooth hair in the process. Hoping I didn't wake her up, I rolled over, facing her, watching her sleep. It was nice to see Lorraine just… Sleeping. Usually she was up at some crazy time in the morning working on a new business idea, or on the phone to one of her associates, but today she got a lie in. Today was our last day of the weekend before work, so she had earned it. We'd both have to face Michael, and Sian tomorrow, so I was really interested to see how it would go. One part of me was sure that Michael had changed since Sian was back, but another part of me was cautious. How could he go from supposedly loving Lorraine, to acting like nothing had ever happened because Sian was back? And what about those looks she always gave me and Lorraine, the looks of guilt? Anger? Did she know that Michael had an abusive past? There was so many questions left unanswered, but I could hardly go and ask her. I hated feeling like I was walking on egg shells around Michael, that one wrong move and he would go off on some sort of rant against me, Lorraine, or both of us. It wasn't fun when I had to tiptoe around Lorraine's feelings, and I certainly wasn't going to do it for someone who I didn't particularly like at the moment. Shaking the thoughts out of my head, I turned my attention to my sleeping girlfriend next to me, staring at her. Part of me wanted her to wake up, the other didn't. I didn't want to be caught staring, yet I was starting to feel slightly lonely, this house could be slightly chilling at times.

I knew I'd feel bad for it later, but I shook Lorraine slightly, moving closer to kiss her lips. One kiss, two, with the third one making her open her eyes, eyes that narrowed as soon as they saw my grin.

"Nik, fuck you. I was sleeping." She mumbled, her voice husky from sleep.

"You can fuck me if you like" I replied, allowing myself to use the cheesy suggestive line, fully knowing that she'd hate it.

I was right, she merely stuck her tongue out at me before rolling over in the bed, stealing the covers as she moved, exposing my body to the cold air of her bedroom. Shivering, I shuffled over, spooning her softly, casually moving my body back underneath the covers. She didn't protest, so I saw this as a good sign. Lorraine could never hold a grudge against me, even if it was 8am in the morning!

"I don't want to go back to Waterloo Road tomorrow… Don't you feel like something is wrong, Nik?" she mumbled from under the duvet, surprising me as I thought she'd gone back to sleep.

"I get what you mean… But we need to go in Lo, we basically run that school on our own these days."

"We're such a power couple…" I heard her reply, giggling softly, causing me to wrap my arms around her, pulling her closer.

"I love it when you're like this. You always say the right things…"

"No… No I don't. Don't say that, I don't. I nearly split us up because I speak so much shit…"

I didn't reply, I knew she wouldn't listen to whatever it was I was going to say. Instead, I just kissed the back of her head, running my hands up and down her body, telling her that it's ok. I wanted her to return it, I wanted to repeat last night. I wanted to hear her scream my name, only mine. I wanted to make her feel better, get her mind on other things, but I knew that it wasn't the time right now. I'd have to think of another way to de-stress her, and right now staying in bed just sounded like the best possible idea. I'd make her some breakfast later, but as soon as I felt her snuggle a little closer to me, I knew that we were fine where we were for the time being.

Tilting her head up, I kissed her softly, just once before pulling back to look at her, my eyes flicking from her eyes to her lips, with hers following. Soon, the temptation became all too clear, and we both leant in, our lips colliding with one another's, both of us allowing the sensation of each-others lips on our own to overcome us.

It wasn't long before our hands were wandering, going to places that we really shouldn't go to when we have other things to do, but that wasn't on either of our minds. Not today. So we carried on, off into our own unimaginable love.


	17. Chapter 17

**On a negative note, if you're going to send me a hateful review, have the guts to come off anon. Oh and, you spelt 'you're' wrong. That is all. **

**On a positive note, thank you for the reviews! I was going to mention someone here, but I'm stupid, and I forgot your U/N. Basically thank you. This chapter is longer than the others as the past few have been short, oh. **

"Where's Simon?" I asked, curious as to why he wasn't here as he was usually always on time, observing how Michael's and Sian's eyes quickly flashed to each-others before Michael spat out a response.

"He's no longer one of our deputies, Lorraine. End of matter." Blunt, straight to the point. Something wasn't right. I could see that Michael was glad to be rid of him, but I could also see a slight hint of insecurity there. As emotionless as I could be, I could always detect when someone was feeling insecure, as I'd been insecure ever since I was a teen. Before I could even ask why, or what happen, Michael spoke again, cutting me off.

"Lorraine, I said that's the end of the matter. Now, can we get on with this please?" His voice silencing the room, trying to stop me from asking questions, from butting in, but we both knew that wouldn't happen.

"Sian, Nikki, could you please leave the room for a moment? It seems we have something to discuss." I stated, keeping my emotions on track, allowing my business 'no shit' mode to go into overdrive. Receiving a questioning look off Nikki as she left, I gave her a quick wink, assuring her that everything was ok, and that I'd be ok… She was only outside the door, after all.

As soon as the door had shut, I got up off the couch and walked over to Michael's desk, keeping my head up high. I was not in the wrong, he was. Placing my hands on the back of the chair, I looked over to him, his gaze fixed on the laptop in front of him, like he had no interest in what it was I had to say.

"You can't just sack someone without my input, Michael. It's MY school, I pay the bills in case you'd forgotten-"

"For God's sake Lorraine I don't think anybody would have the guts to forget! It's all you go on about these days!" he snapped back, cutting me off halfway through my sentence. His hands quickly grabbed the arm rests on either side of his seat, as if he was trying to restrain himself. I took a few steps back, re-thinking what I was going to say. I'd never known him to be so… Volatile before. I knew I had to be careful about what I said, I didn't want another repeat of what happened last time.

"Has Sian replaced Simon?" I asked, knowing that speaking about Sian would calm him down again.

"Yes."

"Why did Simon go? Did you sack him, or did he walk?" I asked again, trying to push an answer out of him, something that I knew I shouldn't have done. Smacking his hands on the table, he stood up, his chair flying backwards and hitting the window ledge. A sudden feeling of worry quickly spread through me, suddenly comparing Michael to the man who was after Fergal, the man who grabbed my arm as he tried to force Fergal's location out of me. I back up again, one, two, three steps. Allowing myself to get closer to the door, closer to the safety of Nikki's arms.

Michael still hadn't moved, his hands were still firmly placed on the edge of the desk, I had no idea what to do. I thought about leaving quietly, grabbing Nikki and taking her away, leaving Sian to deal with this, but somehow I knew I couldn't. What if Sian got hurt? Before I even got a chance to consider another option, I heard Michael speak, nothing higher than a whisper.

"You just don't know when to shut that mouth of yours, do you Lorraine?"

His voice gave me chills, I backed up again, nearly tripping on the edge of the couch. He started to walk over to me, still looking down at his hands, hopefully keeping them under control. I stood still, frozen to the spot, before I felt a pair of hands push me backwards onto the plush softness of the leather sofa. Before I'd even managed to get up, he'd managed to lock the office door, hopefully alerting Nikki and Sian in the process, before pushing me back down again. I cursed myself for wearing what could quite possibly be one of the highest pairs of heels I own.

"You could never keep quiet could you? In school… I remember. You were always in my office, blaming someone else for something you'd done. Always getting someone else in trouble… And now you're trying to get me in trouble… You and that stupid girlfriend of yours…" he sneered, his body towering over mine, scaring me slightly, quickly trying to come up with a response.

"Don't talk about Nikki like that." I snapped back, surprising myself at the tone of my voice, strong and powerful, everything that I wasn't right now. His body kept getting closer, his hand leaning above my shoulder as he leaned over me, his face directly in front of mine.

"You wouldn't want to cross me now… Would you, Lorraine?" he asked, his voice giving me chills once again. I couldn't think of a way to respond, I just stayed quiet, hoping, praying that someone would try to get in the office and realise what was going on.

And it looked like, for once, luck was on my side.

I heard Sian's voice first, then Nikki's, her voice growing more frantic as she realised that I was trapped in here with Michael. She was the only one who knew what he'd tried to do last time, after all.

"Michael?! Michael, open the door now, please!" Sian's shouting came from the other side of the door, before her face appeared in Sonya's window. I had no idea where Nikki had gone, I just hoped she was near. I needed her.

Michael's eyes suddenly snapped shut, his brow furrowing, his hand balling up into a fist above my shoulder, his other hand grabbing my face roughly. Refusing to let myself show any sign of worry, I didn't move, I didn't say anything, I just listened to the voices outside. It sounded like Sonya had joined Nikki and Sian now, her voice unable to stay strong.

I closed my eyes, trying to block everything out, before I felt a sharp slap to my cheek, and a kick to the door. My hand automatically rose to my face, trying to defend myself from something that had already happened, my eyes snapping open, realising that he was about to hit me again, anger in his eyes. I prepared myself, bracing myself for the impact of his hand on my cheek, when I heard the window door open, and Sian's voice entering the room. Begging him to stop, pleading with him to open the door.

"Michael, you can't get arrested, not again, just open the door!" she begged, not realising what she'd said. Watching as both mine and Michael's heads turned in her direction, his face slowly draining of any colour.

Before he collapsed on the floor beside me in tears.


	18. Chapter 18

**Yes, I am going to update Stay, soon. I'll update it when I think of an idea of how to carry it on. In regards to this story, I'm going to end it off soon. I start back at work tomorrow, and then in 2 weeks I start college, so I wouldn't be able to pay much attention to this if I carried it on. **

**If you're a Heather or Daniela fan, then follow me on my Twitter beliebinrobsten, because I seriously need to follow more of y'all. That is all. **

"Sian, I swear if he hurts her I will not be afraid of calling the police!" I shouted, my voice filling up the room with anger and worry.

"Nikki, just shut up for a moment. He's on the floor in tears." Sian snapped back, causing me to recoil slightly. She clearly knew what had happened before, so I didn't understand why she was defending him, especially when Lorraine could be in danger in there. So much for loyalty in this place…

I considered kicking the door down, but I wasn't too sure where Lorraine was. I didn't want to hurt her, so I knew I had to rely on Sian's soft coaxing and persuading to get Michael to open the door. There was only so much time I'd be willing to wait, however, before I took things into my own hands.

"Has he let my sister out yet?! Oh my God, should I call the police? Nikki what should I do?!" Sonya asked as she came running into the room again, her voice slightly raised, filling the room with more panic. Sian quickly shot her a look, causing her to be quiet, looking at me with raised eyebrows. I guessed she was asking the same question that I was, why was she protecting him?

I hadn't heard Lorraine say anything in quite some time, so I was starting to get agitated. Sian's mumblings clearly weren't doing any good, so I walked over and pushed her out of the way, sticking my head in through the open window, noticing Michael on the floor, and Lorraine staring at him in shock from the sofa. As soon as she noticed me, she quickly came over to the window, avoiding going near Michael, keeping a good distance between them, and giving me a hug through the window, her posture relaxing slightly as I wrapped my arms around her.

"Lo, go and open the door?" I whispered to her, trying not to draw any attention to her.

"I… I can't… He has the key…" she mumbled, her voice cracking. She was scared, she was really scared. I hated seeing her like this, and I knew it bothered her too. Emotions out there for everybody to see, for everybody to judge… It was horrible. I shot Sian a pleading glance, but she just shook her head. Like me, she knew there was nothing we could do to get Michael to move, or to hand the key over. He was sick, he was paranoid over something, and it was making him sick. He needed medical help, and that's what I was going to get him. Keeping hold of Lorraine, I turned to face Sonya, asking her to call an ambulance, before she scurried out of the room clutching her phone. Turning back to face Sian, I issued my final ultimatum.

"Sian, you either tell me what the hell is going on, or I'll get the police down here too…" I said, my voice slightly threatening, my eyes refusing to meet hers. She shook her head, once again protecting him. It made me feel sick.

I turned my head away from her, focusing all of my attention on Lorraine, who was still trying to stay as close as possible to me, which was hard considering there was a wall and a window between us, her hands shaking as the held onto mine. Getting through the door was clearly not an option, and Michael was starting to get suspicious, his eyes watching our every move, like a hawk watching its prey. I had to get her out of there before something else happened. She'd have to climb out of the window…

"Lo, listen to me, you're going to have to climb out of the window ok? Do it slowly, and carefully, then I can pull you out before Michael notices…" I whispered, only letting Lorraine hear what I had to say. She nodded quickly, before starting to climb on the draws that were placed directly next to the window, speeding up when she realised that Michael was also getting up. She was nearly out, no problems, Michael was just staring through the window at us, his eyes red raw from crying. I didn't care, I just wanted Lorraine out of there. Then Sonya came charging in…

"I've phoned for an ambulance, the police are also coming! You're gonna be ok Lor!" she shouted, screaming to the world what she'd just done, causing Michael to grab Lorraine's leg in anger, or fear, or both. I felt her freeze in my arms, her grip on my jacket tightening, begging me to keep hold of her, to not let her go.

With both of my arms wrapped around Lorraine, I quickly turned towards Sian, whose eyes were wide open with fear, scaring me. She clearly knew what Michael was capable of, and it was clearly something bad.

"Please…" I asked, tears in my eyes threating to overflow. She didn't say anything, she just nodded, moving over to the window, reaching out to place her hand over Michael's, quietly asking him to let Lorraine go, her voice showing no signs of worry, unlike her body language.

"I can't go back there Sian. I won't. If I do, it's his fault. And hers." He added, pulling hard on Lorraine's leg, almost causing her to fall backwards. I started mouthing at Lorraine to kick him, if she kicked him I could pull her out and Sian could do whatever it was she needed to do to calm him down. Moving one hand to her cheek, I allowed my hand to linger there for a moment before moving my hands back around her waist, ready to pull her out.

I watched her as she closed her eyes, preparing herself for what she was about to do, before looking at me, clearly making sure that I was ready too. I nodded, and smiled slightly at her, assuring her that it would be ok.

Sian quickly caught on to what Lorraine was about to do, but before she could say anything Lorraine's heel made contact with Michael's shoulder, causing him to yell out in agony, before I pulled her out, pulling her as close to me as possible before Sonya ran over and tackled Lorraine, both of them nearly falling to the floor. Lorraine quickly composed herself, assuring her sister that she was ok and to stop making a fuss, before coming back over to me, her arms wrapping around my waist.

The police then came running into the room, closely followed by the paramedics, quickly rushing over to the office door, Sian's soft persuasive voice being drowned out by the shouting of the police. One of the paramedics came up to Lorraine, asking if she could see her face which was slowly starting to show signs of a bruise. As soon as their hand made contact with her, she flinched, pushing her body into mine, trying to feel safe, before she mumbled out a short response.

"I'm fine. Don't fuss over me. Help him." She mumbled, before turning her attention over to Sian. "You. With me, now." She asked, her voice taking on a strict tone, her arms removing themselves from around my waist, however her hand still remained attached to mine. I knew what she was going to ask her, and I hoped that Sian was going to give her the answer she so desperately needed.

Sian nodded, knowing what was about to come, before following me and Lorraine in the direction of the staffroom, leaving the police and the paramedics to deal with Michael…


	19. Chapter 19

**This is the final part for this story! I hope you enjoy it, and I hope it's not too bad! (I was going to proof read this, but I've developed a frigging cold – blame the inconsiderate people who come to work when they're ill). Thank you so much for your reviews & feedback and for the last time… Please review. **

**That is all. **

**Oh and I will update Stay soon… Soon.**

Sitting down in the staffroom, I noticed that Sian's face had drained of colour. I wasn't exactly surprised, she was hopefully about to reveal what it was that Michael had done which had caused him to go to jail once. I wasn't going to get my hopes up however, unlike Lorraine, who looked pretty determined to get an answer out of her.

I smiled as Lorraine came over with a drink in her hand, before she sat next to me, half on the chair and half on me, which was very unlike her, especially in this sort of situation. She reached out and took my hand, returning a smile, before she turned her attention to Sian.

"Tell me what he's done before, or you're out, simple as." She threatened, totally focused on getting what she wanted. Sian sank back into her seat a little, before sighing. Both me and Lorraine knew as well as Sian did that she needed this job, and there was little she could do to keep it if she refused to tell us both what had happened.

"Me and Michael, we've… Known each other for a long time, since we were teenagers in fact… I helped him, and he helped me. We became such close friends, he got to know my family and I got to know his, or what was left of it at any rate… I remember going there to see him all the time and I remember… I remember his dad always making a pass at me when Michael wasn't around… It was never more than a kiss, but that doesn't matter now-"

"Spit it out Sian. He could've been capable of anything in that office." Lorraine spat, her voice showing no sign of pity for Sian. I squeezed her hand slightly, willing her to calm down. I knew this wasn't exactly easy for Sian either and I didn't want Lorraine getting pissed off with her. Looking over to Sian, I nodded my head, willing her to go on.

"One day Michael found out… I've never seen him so mad before. The shouting… That was awful. My relationship with my parents was never great, but I can't describe how awful it was to see that." She mumbled, pausing for a moment, regaining her confidence before carrying on.

"He started punching him, pushing him to the floor, kicking him wherever he could reach… His father wasn't the strongest of men, he couldn't stop him… I couldn't stop him… He wouldn't stop, not until he was dead…" She finished, her voice breaking at the end.

Me and Lorraine looked at each other, neither of us sure what to say. What could we say? I don't think either us expected Sian to say that… Something still didn't make sense though. Why did Simon leave, and why exactly was Michael suddenly angry with Lorraine…

"Sian?" I asked, my voice gentle. Watching as she looked up in my direction. "What does any of that have to do with Lorraine, or Simon…?" I questioned, tracing Lorraine's hand with my thumb.

"Simon was… He used to like me, and he'd always do whatever he could to get Michael out of the picture. Once he'd found out what Michael had done, and that he'd got away with such a short sentence, he swore he'd do whatever it took to get him back in jail… That's why he's gone… He's been threatening him, sending him letters, prank calls, breaking into his house, the lot. Trying to break him…" she replied, sighing, clearly unhappy about having to remember these events.

"What about me, Sian? What have I done wrong…?" Lorraine asked, her voice taking on a slightly softer tone after hearing what Sian had to say before.

"You reminded him of Simon's girlfriend. She always had some form of vendetta against him too, always trying to make him cheat on me. Making him confused. He hated her, but he loved her too… He told me that since I'd left, he started to like you, because you reminded him of her… But when he remembered what she'd done to him, he took it out on you, that's why… I'm so sorry Lorraine…" she mumbled, quickly wiping away a tear that was falling down her cheek.

"It's… It's ok Sian… I get it, but he needs help… You have to realise that…" Lorraine said, trying to persuade Sian that he did need help. Lorraine flinched slightly as Sian got up, before relaxing as she nodded in agreement before leaving, mumbling something about wanting to be with Michael, something which I still didn't understand, I just pulled Lorraine closer to me, glad that the worst of it was all over. Neither me or Lorraine spoke, both of us clearly too shocked to say anything, so we let our lips do the talking, embracing the feeling of her lips on mine once again.

We both ended up pulling back for air, gazing into one another's eyes before Lorraine spoke, asking me to take over as head teacher of the school, with me nodding and smiling in agreement, before our lips collided once more.

_**(the next day; Nikki's first day as head)**_

"Lo? Lorraine for God's sake, come on! We have to go, I can't be late today!" I shouted up the stairs, hoping that she was nearly done getting ready, as she'd been 'getting ready' for the past 2 hours or so.

Before I opened my mouth to speak again, Lorraine finally appeared at the top of the stairs, smiling slightly before walking down and putting on her shoes.

"You can't see the bruise… Can you?" she asked, looking up to me. Of course, that's why she took so long getting ready, she'd of wanted to hide the bruise. Still, she'd done a very good job of hiding it at any rate. She looked perfect.

"It looks fine, Lo. Now come on, let's go!" I replied, walking over to the door as I spoke, forcing her to hurry up, turning around when I didn't hear the distinctive sound of her heels following me. She was still sat on the steps, her hands running over the bruise on her face. It made my heart sink slightly, and I knew the minute we stepped outside the house, she'd be 'fine', so I went over and sat next to her, suddenly not caring if we were late. I couldn't exactly fire myself, could I?

"Hey… You ok?" I asked, knowing that the answer would be no, just not sure if she'd admit to it or not.

"I'm… Just still in shock about the whole thing Nik… I'll be fine though, ok?" she replied, smiling as she moved to press her lips onto mine. One, two, three small kisses, then she pulled away, grabbing my hand as she stood up, dragging me in the direction of her beautiful car. A car that I felt privileged to ride in every single day. Getting in, I looked over to Lorraine, who was looking directly at me, her cheeks turning slightly red when we made eye contact. I loved seeing her like this.

"Ready to be head, Ms Boston?" she asked, trying to keep her voice professional without laughing, which was a clear struggle for her. Still, I decided to play along, just to amuse Lorraine.

"Yes Ms Donnegan, I'm all ready to go and tell the staff." I replied, winking at her, causing her to giggle softly. I knew telling the staff would be hard, especially considering the staff changes that myself and Lorraine had made. We'd decided not to bring Simon back, as although we had no pity towards Michael, we didn't really want someone as bitter as him around, so we gave his deputy head post to one of the younger teachers, as well as allowing Sian to keep hers. We'd also managed to hire a few new teachers, which was pretty impressive considering we'd only had one night.

Breaking away from my thoughts, I noticed that we were about to enter Waterloo Road, and the nerves started kicking in. I hoped I'd be a good enough head… I didn't want to let Lorraine down. Hopefully, I'd have the full backing of the staff too, but with Christine there, I wasn't too sure. I ran my hand through my hair quickly, trying to shake the stress out of my head. Lorraine clearly caught onto how I was feeling, and leant over to kiss my cheek, promising to reward me later, something which made me blush, quickly turning to kiss her before I got out of the car, waiting for Lorraine to join me before we joined hands, ready to walk inside, to face whatever problems there may be. I felt her squeeze my hand softly, before turning to face me.

"I love you. You'll be fine. Remember to kick ass." She said, mimicking the way I said kick ass from before we were together.

"I love you too, Lo. And no… We'll be fine." I replied, cringing inside after I'd realised what I'd said.

Dropping my hand, she look at me once more, smiling, both of us knowing that we had to be professional.

"Ready?" she asked, turning to face the school.

"Always. We shall kick ass." I replied, watching her smile as I used the same voice to say kick ass.

And with that, we walked into the school, knowing that it would all be ok. We'd be ok. The power couple would run this school, and we'd run it well.


End file.
